"Reaper's Possession..."

Chang Long activated a skill she had never used since she got the title of the Reaper. Pointing her sword towards the Goblin King, the reaper swinging his scythe behind her instantly darted towards the king with incredible speed.

Whoosh!

The Goblin King froze, his sword raised high, poised to strike, his eyes wide with sheer terror. The massive sword in his grasp clattered to the ground. Kitsune sensed the anomaly and swiftly backed away. Shortly, the Goblin King's body uncontrollably trembled, his forehead suddenly bled. A few small drips turned into streams of blood soon flowing down from his forehead, revealing a long, gashed wound from which he screamed in agony.

The guards, witnessing their king's excruciating pain, though unable to understand the cause, could clearly see before their eyes that the reaper with the scythe vanished into their king's body.

"What's that noise? It gives me the creeps!"

Peach Blossom, who was taking a breather, jolted. She, like everyone else in the vicinity, sought the source of the sound, pausing their battles to discover its origin.

"Look, everyone! Something's wrong with the Goblin King!"

Wet Trash Can and Oliang, rushing to join Siegfried and the others, exclaimed upon witnessing the scene.

"It looks like he's in agony. What did that dog do to the Goblin King? I want to know!"

Rafael, who missed witnessing the event, speculated that Kitsune had inflicted the scream of agony on the king.

"It's not the dog, look! The reaper behind Chang Long has vanished!!"

Draco, who had been coveting the Reaper title, noticed because he constantly glanced at Chang Long during the battle.

"I saw Chang Long point her sword at the Goblin King, and the reaper moved in that direction before vanishing into the king's body,"

Siegfried, who also frequently looked at Chang Long but for different reasons, commented.

"Look, guys! Is that the reaper's scythe coming out of the Goblin King's head!?"

Aden shouted, drawing everyone's attention to something reflecting the firelight from the dwindling inferno.

Slowly, the reaper's scythe emerged from within the Goblin King, causing it immense agony. Its screams intensified, sending the goblin minions fleeing in terror. As the king's body split in two, he died, and the reaper returned to its original position beside Chang Long.

After the Goblin King was slained, the goblin guards desperately tried to find a way to escape, even when they were in already near-death state. Chang Long no longer had the strength to deal the decisive blow. The Reaper's aura began to fade, and Davy-chan was summoned out of her body to lessen the burden. Chang Long slowly collapsed, her body wracked with pain indescribable. Kitsune and the others rushed to check on her with concern.

'Master!'

Kitsune called out mentally, worried, nuzzling her face.

'Take care of the rest, Kitsune.'

Chang Long ordered. Kitsune hesitated briefly before leaving Chang Long's side to slay the remaining goblin guards, absorbing them into his form as streaks of light.

"Chang Long! Are you alright?!"

Siegfried reached Chang Long first, cradling her head on his lap, offering her blood crystals and rejuvenating crystals.

"Bot... tle."

Chang Long refused the crystals Siegfried offered, indicating she wanted her water bottle that contained black rose tea, her voice raspy.

"Your water bottle? Drink water later, you need to eat these healing crystals first."

Siegfried misunderstood, thinking Chang Long was simply thirsty and tried to persuade her to consume the rejuvenating crystals to alleviate her agony.

"Black... rose tea."

Chang Long weakly pushed away the rejuvenating crystals, struggling to communicate her need amid pain that doubled with every movement.

Realizing what Chang Long truly needed, Siegfried remembered her mentioning black rose tea's pain-relieving properties. He quickly fetched the bottle with the dark liquid inside and helped her drink.

Siegfried struggled to feed Chang Long the tea; more spilled than consumed, leaving less than half the bottle when she finally had enough.

"How is Master Chang doing?"

Peach Blossom asked, seeing Chang Long fall silent.

"She must have fallen asleep. Let's head back to Eldar City immediately,"

Siegfried suggested, lifting Chang Long, who appeared to have dozed off, in his arms.

"That sounds good,"

Draco agreed. They all retraced their steps to board the ship back to Eldar City, sternly warning Peach Blossom against disturbing the lake's water again.

When Chang Long awoke, she found herself on a soft bed in a place that seemed to be Albeis' home, the leader of the elves. Rising from the bed, she noticed Kitsune, in his flame fox form, lying beside the bed. The room was lit by candlelight. It was dark outside, with the sounds of celebration faintly audible, piquing her interest. Chang Long got up and walked to the window, refreshed by the cool breeze.

"Our benefactor has awakened,"

Albeis entered her room, accompanied by Efae, who carried a basin of water and a towel.

"Master Albeis,"

Chang Long greeted, surprised by his words.

"Master Chaaaaang..."

Peach Blossom called out in a drawn-out voice, clinging to Chang Long's arm, followed by puzzled expressions from everyone, including Albeis and Efae.

"Why does Peach Blossom still act like Chang Long is her star-crossed lover, even though she now believes Chang Long is a girl!?"

Oliang could not help but ask, puzzled by Peach Blossom's infatuated behavior.

"Male or female, Master Chang is still the coolest,"

Peach Blossom responded with a sweet smile, unfazed.

"But... did we complete our quest?"

Ignoring Peach Blossom's adoration, Chang Long turned her focus to the matter at hand, concerned about their quest outcome.

"We did, but we're not sure what the quest reward is yet. We were waiting for you to wake up so we could collect it together,"

Siegfried replied with a smile, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Come with me. I'll take you to collect your reward,"

Albeis said warmly, leading the way.

"Did everyone level up by any chance?"

Chang Long asked as they followed Albeis to claim their quest reward.

"We did. Right after we disembarked, the system announced a long list of beasts we had defeated and announced that our skills had leveled up significantly, leaving us quite overwhelmed,"

Peach Blossom eagerly responded, not letting go of Chang Long's arm.

Hearing this, Chang Long checked her watch to see if her base level and skills had improved. Indeed, her level had advanced from 43 to 50, and her skills had similarly advanced: her swift movement skill to level 25, climbing skill to level 10, evasion skill to level 29, swordsmanship skill to level 12, and endurance skill to level 10.

Even Kitsune, who joined later in the battle, had advanced from level 43 to 44. Additionally, Kitsune acquired a new skill called "Illusive Leaves" in the disguise skill branch.

"Right, what levels are everyone else at now? You must have outpaced me by quite a bit."

As Chang Long inquired about everyone's level while they followed Albeis through the bustling streets of Eldar, the townspeople were busy adorning the place with ribbons, lamps, decorations, and an abundance of food for the evening's celebration. The town's joyful and vibrant atmosphere contrasted sharply with their first discreet visit, making Chang Long smile in delight. Along the way, elves and dryads of both genders greeted them, offering flowers and blessings.

"I'll tell you first!"

Peach Blossom eagerly claimed, causing surprise among the group who were about to share their current levels with Chang Long. However, their attention was partly divided as they also had to smile and accept flowers from the elves. Peach Blossom, always keeping a close watch on Chang Long, seized the moment to speak up before anyone else.

"My level has increased by 5, now at 58. As for the others, never mind them, Master Chang, they're not important at all,"

Peach Blossom bluntly stated, continuing to smile sweetly while clinging to Chang Long's arm.

"Really, Peach Blossom? Your words are making us feel neglected. I, for one, have gone up 4 levels, now at level 60,"

Wet Trash Can retorted, clearly pleased with his progress despite Peach Blossom's dismissal.

"I've also gained 4 levels, now at 59, Chang Long,"

Oliang added, clearly content. He has been smiling non-stop since discovering his rapid level advancement. Given the game's stinginess with experience points and the difficulty in leveling up, their sudden leap of up to 5 levels was indeed a stroke of good fortune.

"Draco and I each gained 3 levels. I'm now at 65, and Draco at 64,"

Rafael shared, smiling and accepting flowers from the townspeople. The guild's deputy leader had a charming personality and was excellent at engaging with those around him. Meanwhile, Draco watched Chang Long intently, fascinated by the Reaper title holder he so admired, making a point to observe her every move.

"I've jumped a whole 5 levels, now at 55,"

Aden shared with a smile. Everyone internally agreed how fortunate they were to undertake this quest with Chang Long. Despite the high risks and dangers involved, the adventure was thrilling and ultimately rewarding, culminating in a successful quest that not only boosted their character levels and skills but promised additional rewards from the quest itself, making it a wholly profitable experience.

"What about you, Siegfried?"

Chang Long turned to ask, noting he was the only one who had not answered her question yet.

"I've gone up 2 levels. Now at 72,"

Siegfried responded, his demeanor appearing quite stern.

"And you, Master Chang? How many levels have you risen?"

Peach Blossom asked, filled with curiosity. After all, Chang Long was the one who had thrown herself into the quest the most, even single-handedly taking down the Goblin King towards the end.

"7 levels,"

Chang Long replied.

"We've arrived. This is where you will receive your quest rewards,"

Albeis announced, halting, and gesturing towards a large tree with a vast nest on top, signposted as the Hall of Valor.

"Hall of Valor!?"

everyone exclaimed, swelling with pride.

"It's a place that gathers the stories of the brave heroes of the elf people. Your names will also be recorded here. Go on up; that's where you'll receive your quest rewards. I hope you find something to your liking,"

Albeis proudly introduced. After completing his guidance, he excused himself, leaving Chang Long and her group rubbing their hands together in excitement. They walked up the wooden stairs, leaving Kitsune to wait below, until they reached the door and stopped.

"Do we have to knock?"

Wet Trash Can queried uncertainly, listening in and noting the silence inside as if no one was present.

"Come in..."

A voice from inside preempted their knock, inviting them to push the door open.

Creak

Cracking open, the door's noise was ear screeching, suggesting its old age. The group stepped into the dimly lit leaf nest, its windows shut tight, a faint candlelight illuminating from a single candle on an old, worn table where an elderly man with white hair sat. On the table, amidst straw, lay a box filled with eggs the size of an ostrich egg. They came in assorted colors and patterns.

"Welcome, champions of the Spirit Guardian quest, please approach this table," the old man spoke as he saw Chang Long's group hesitating just before the door. They moved closer, intrigued by the eggs.

"These are your rewards. Choose the egg you like the most, one for each," the elder gestured towards the diverse eggs on the table. Some smiled in joy, others were excited or confused, and a few felt a sense of disappointment. After such risks and dangers, was a single egg really all their reward amounted to? It felt somewhat insufficient.

"Is this egg the reward!?"

Wet Trash Can asked in surprise, looking disappointed. Just one egg, and it would be gone in a single meal, hardly worth the risk of the quest.

"Is the reward, a pet?"

Aden speculated, but the old man did not respond. He continued to smile and gesture towards the crate of eggs on the table.

"Then, could we open the windows, please? So we can choose the one we like,"

Rafael negotiated. Despite the light from a candle, it was not enough for them to clearly see the colors and patterns on the eggs. If they were just ordinary eggs or egg-shaped ornaments, they wanted to see clearly. And if it was as Aden suggested, then it was even more important to choose carefully.

"Do as you wish,"

the old man casually replied. Rafael and Draco went to open the windows on each side of the room. With sufficient light, they could now clearly see the distinct differences between each egg.

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